While pulling weeds in my backyard this spring, I came across a weed
that I remember struggling with the year prior. I know how that sounds, but it
really was a strong weed! It had now grown into a good sized weed and it must have really had a strong root because I can remember pulling and pulling at my previous attempt to unearth this bad boy, but obviously it won and I lost.

So here we meet again! I got down on my hands and knees and  I kept pulling, twisting and turning but this baby was hanging on for dear life. I was determined to get this weed out. Obviously I gave up last time I tackled it, but I was committed this time to remove this weed, once and for all. I was tired of looking at it. So I continued my battle. Using my gardening gloves, I would move back some of the solid dry dirt that was packed around it, helping to secure it in its place. But I knew if I just pulled hard enough I would be able to remove this weed. I pulled and pulled. I used my right hand and then my left. I used both hands at once. I could feel the sweat rolling down my face and back as I struggled with this annoying little thing. I sat back and stared at this darn weed and wondered just how in the world could one little thing be so strong and such a nuisance?

I was NOT going to be defeated by this weed! It was unrelenting.
But so was I.


As I kept brushing away dirt and pulling, I started to expose just a
little more of the root  I finally got to a point where I could see a knot in the stem of the weed and thought to myself "Finally!" and I kept pulling. I was just about standing up and pulling straight up. How can this thing be so incredibly strong? I pulled with all my might but this thing simply was not budging! I had to use a different approach.

I went in the garage and got my gardening hand tools. I have one designed especially for digging. The actual name of it is a weeder. It has a sturdy handle and a long solid metal stem that comes down and then forks out so you can really get in there and dig and get to the root. NOW I would finally be able to get somewhere.

I continued to dig and pull, dig and pull. Then I decided to stop pulling and just keep digging. So I dug and I dug and I dug. I brushed away the soil so I could see what I was doing and expose the root. I was actually down so deep I unearthed a worm. I dug and dug and started to pull again and then FINALLY I could feel some give in the root. Now I knew I was going to conquer this little green evil weed that had the strength of and obviously had to be related to the Hulk. Dig and pull, dig and pull some more and then I felt the root finally gave way and I was able to release it from its attachment! Triumph at last!

Based on the angle of the stem, and as you can see in the picture, I determined the majority of the root and including the knot was not growing straight down into the earth, as one assumes it does. It was growing sideways with other little arms coming off the root, grounding it even more into its surroundings. So no matter how hard I would have continued to pull, the law of physics tells you I would not have ever been successful in pulling the weed out of the ground. It was not until I applied some logical thought to the process
and changed my approach and used the right tool was I able to come up with a solution. Did it take work? Yes, it sure did! But it was not as hard as I was working prior to switching method of resolve.


What are the weeds in our lives that we have attempted to remove, only to get discouraged and walk away from? Did it show up at a later time in your life? Now, bigger and stronger? Wouldn't it have been nice to deal with this "weed" before it became such an issue? 

Get to the root of your weeds. What issues continue to arise in your life? Financial? Health? Relationships? Career? Disorganization or clutter? Confidence or self-esteem? Addiction? Get out your weeder and start digging. Review what has not worked and then take a different approach. Apply some logic. Or if you have tried the logical approach and that didn't work, try something illogical. I have approached issues in my past devoid of any logic and was still able to have success. But find the right tools and use them.  Hire a Life Coach, vent to a knowledgeable friend, let go of your attachment to the story,
forgive, change how you look at it, get counseling, find a trainer, get a mentor, see a hypnotherapist, consult an expert. Do what you have to do, but use the right tool in the right manner and you will find getting to the root of it all is the only solution to removing the issue once and for all!


 

When is the last time you jumped in a puddle or played in the mud? Kicked a ball around for fun? Played on the swings and slides? Made a wish on a dandelion? Investigated a bug? Played in the sandbox? Two year olds are in the moment, every moment they are given. They don't worry about what will happen if...they just wholeheartedly go for it. They don't worry about other people's thoughts or judgments. They don't worry about reason or try to control their impulses, they just act! 
 
No fears. No worries. 

Go ahead ~  Act like a two year old today! You don't need permission...two year olds never ask for permission! Let go of self-imposed rules. In the life of a two year old, there is no difference between reality and fantasy. Make-believe is a way of life. Look at life from the eyes of a two year old. Explore, imagine, discover, investigate. Life is calling you. Your inner child is screaming to get out and play!